Building facades are one of the key elements in the overall Aesthetic and technical performance of a building.
The sixth Annual Facade Design and Engineering Middle East Summit brought together more than 200 leading architects, engineers and suppliers to discuss the challenges of creating iconic, sustainable and culturally relevant facades. Discussion revolved on how
to define the future cultural identity of facades in the Middle East. Panelists looked at how to apply lessons from the past to modern facades and how to reconnect facades with “human” elements. Projects showcased were far-ranging and highlights included the high-tech “pineapple facade” and the new Singapore National Stadium, which provided interesting lessons for the upcoming 2022 stadiums in Qatar. Building facades are one of the key elements in the overall aesthetic and technical performance of a building. According to Arup, facade engineering is the art of resolving aesthetic, environmental and structural issues to achieve the effective enclosure of buildings. According to Agnes Koltay, of Koltay Facades, specialist companies are dedicated to this niche sector of the building industry though some engineers operate within technical divisions of facade manufacturing companies. Generally, facade engineers are specifically qualified in their discipline and consultants work with the design team on construction projects for architects, building owners, construction managers and product manufacturers.
Koltay delivered a presentation focused on the coordination needs of facade engineering. Koltay Facades is Dubai-based so she demonstrated her presentation with a case study of the Address Boulevard Hotel in the UAE city. Koltay looked at how early interdisciplinary co-ordination can reduce problems on site, clarify interfacing, scope, basically solve problems before they become problems.According to Koltay, this will result in, “smooth-flowingconstruction, faster program, clarity, happier people and abetter end product”.
Facade engineers must consider aspects such as design, certification, fabrication and installation of the building facades with regards to the performance of materials, aesthetic appearance, structural behavior, weather tightness, safety and serviceability, security, maintenance and build ability. The skill set will include matters such as computational fluid dynamics, heat transfar fer through two- and three-dimensional constructions, the behavior of materials, manufacturing methodologies, structural engineering and logistics. Koltay said that no one really knew that facade engineering was a whole discipline on its own. Over time, the specialist skills necessary in this niche sector have surpassed the capabilities of architects, structural and mechanical engineers as buildings are designed with more complexity and with the introduction of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Building facades are considered to be one of the most expensive and potentially the highest risk element of any major project. Historically building facades have the greatest level of failure of any part of a building fabric and the pressure for change and adaptation due to environmental and energy performance needs is greater than any other element of a building. As a consequence facade engineering has become a science in its own right. Steven
Humphrey, the Program Director at AECOM, spoke about developing cost effective and sustainable facades, and he said that in his estimation facades should cost between 10-15% of the total cost of the building. The selection of materials used should be based onthe life cycle cost (LCC) of the building. He added that a cheap selection of materials in the beginning creates maintenance challenges later on, which only add to the actual cost of the facade. He emphasized that developers and owners should look at the real cost of ownership and ask the question: How will it generate revenue for you over the life of the building? The traditional approach is still the most popular according to Humphrey. The Passivhaus Project (QGBC/ Barwa) has a solid external facade with an internal courtyard.There are views out but no views in, and hence no heat in. It showed that traditional designs can still be energy efficient with some adaptations and modifications. Humphrey posed a question here: How much does sustainability cost? This led into the next issue that he tackled, which was looking at the benefits of sustainability. There is the obvious reduction in the usage of natural resources. The result: a reduced cooling load and reduced power consumption. According to Humphrey, “environmental impacts come from the extent to which we consume both materials and utilities”. In this respect, he pointed out that even a mitigating measure like district cooling has its limitations in that you cannot assume that all people will be responsible about their energy usage. According to some leading facade engineering and design consultants, a building’s skin can define its value, performance and architectural expression. Facades and building envelopes– which form the outer skins of buildings – project image and creative intent.Increasingly, they are also understood as important environmental moderators and key influencers in project risk and commercial success. The facade is the primary moderator of the environment, making buildings habitable and comfortable for their intended use.
The detailed engineering of the facade is needed to achieve the ever-increasing performance necessary to reduce the carbon emissions of our buildings.Due to the low cost of utilities financial arguments are difficult to sell in the oil and gas rich Gulf region but what is of critical importance is the carbon footprint. As in Europe, a mindset that looks at measuring the carbon emissions is becoming more prevalent in the Middle East. He ended his presentation by looking at what the future holds for facade design and engineering.
“The desire is to move forward in a stable fashion,” said Humphrey. This included the retention of the cultural identity of the region. Being careful about resources and utilities will be critical to success. Humphrey is convinced that it is likely that the days of the “Glass Box” are numbered. What will remain important he added is: good design, shape, color, function, and form. A thoughtfully designed skin can make a new building work more effectively for its owners, occupants and environment.
